CSTK© README

Created by Trevor Creative Scripts

• CSTK© Version 2.2

What is this repository NOT for?

• Text editing, developing and testing projects. Use an appropriate text editor and developing environment for that.

What is this repository for?

• An in app console for JSX, JSX and CMD / Bash.

• This is convenient for checking out and changing DOM properties and testing out the JS compatibilities of a given app version.

  • The JSX console now shows useful error messages even with InDesign (Error, line# and source line)
  • $.writeln and $.write are now forwarded to the console and can include css $.writeln('Hi there', 'background: yellow; color: blue;')
  • The $.writeln() and $.write() and __log() __error() and __result() methods will output to the console and automatically stringify objects and arrays.

  

  • $.props() will give useful info on selected item or other target, see below for details.
  • __log('hi') works in both JSX and JS consoles can also include css and class __log('foo', 'background: yellow', 'error')
  • __error() same as __log() just with the error class applied (comes out red)
  • __result(err, result, stderr) useful for JS callbacks fs.someFunction('somethingHere', __result)
  • For JS console can use Jfy(myObject) instead of JSON.stringify(myObject)
  • Can use some node modules without the need to require. (fs, exec, path, os, spawn)
  • The bash / cmd shell console is good where administrative rights are not needed on the Mac you can pipe a password into sudo using echo "your_password" | sudo -S -k <command> see the answer of user393365 here before you do that.

• Some useful Adobe HTML Extensions tools.

  • Easily open extensions in CefClient or Chrome for debugging
  • Set debug and log levels
  • Easily open extensions with Finder / Explorer or your favorite text editor
  • Opens extensions log file and the log folder

• Works of most of the Adobe CC apps (Including Ai, Ic, Id, Ps, Pp, Ae).

How do I get set up?

The best way to set up is to clone the repository to a repository folder and create a symbolic link in the CEP extensions folder to the repositories com.creative-scripts.cstk sub-folder.

Mac

Note because you need administrative rights use a normal terminal and not CSTK's shell console

mkdir -p "/Users/TREVOR/repositories"
cd "/Users/TREVOR/repositories"
git clone https://github.com/Trevor-/CSTK.git
sudo ln -s "/Users/TREVOR/repositories/CSTK/com.creative-scripts.cstk" "/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions/CSTK"

Windows

Note because you need administrative rights use CMD as administrator (Type cmd in Windows search and then right click and choose run as administrator) and not CSTK's shell console

if not exist "C:\Users\TREVOR\repositories" md "C:\Users\TREVOR\repositories"
cd "C:\Users\TREVOR\repositories"
git clone https://github.com/Trevor-/CSTK.git
mklink /J  "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\CEP\extensions\CSTK"  "C:\Repositories\CSTK\com.creative-scripts.cstk"

Replace TREVOR with your user name!

After you have done that one time then to update the extension just cd to the CSTK repository folder and type git pull

If you are a real beginner "developer" and can't handle the above then: Follow the instructions here

How do set the debug mode?

• The extension is now signed so you know longer need to do this.

Usage Instructions

Mess around until you get the idea. See the video on this page.

Console

• Make sure you have the correct console mode selected.
• You can press Shift + Enter to execute selected lines.
• To execute the entire contents of the console on Mac use Option⌥+Enter on Windows use Ctr+Shift+A or on both you can click the Execute button.
• Note that the J SX mode runs in a persistent engine remembers what it's feed until you restart the app.
  • What will happen if you execute a global const foo = 123 and then 15 years (not a long time in the history of ExtendScript) later (unless you restarted the app in the meantime) tried const foo = 456?
• The JSX console has some built in functions including the $.props() method. This method provided a very convenient way of finding out the properties of a selected item or any target for that matter.
  • By default on apps that have the app.selection property if an object is selected then app.selection[0] will be the target and if that is undefined depending on the app the app.selection will be the target and if there's no selection then the target will just default to app.
  • One can specify a target in the form of a DOM object $.props(app.documents[0]) this will list all the properties of document 0.
  • One can filter the result $.props(app.documents[0], 'fullName', 'id') if you only want some of them.
  • In InDesign Enums are provided in the form of <integer> /* Enum.CONSTANT */ for example rgbPolicy: 1129345136 /* ColorSettingsPolicy.PRESERVE_EMBEDDED_PROFILES */
  • One can build on the app.selection[0] default by including an array to specify the target for example $.props(['transparencySettings', 'blendingSettings'])
• The both the JSX and JS modes contain the functions __log(message, css, class) __error(message, css) and __result(error, result, stderr) which will stringify objects and arrays.
• The __result(error, result, stderr) function is very useful for callbacks in the JS console which will display error, result and stderr.

• The JSX console handles binary files so if you enjoy writing your code in binary you can have a great time.
• JS mode DOES NOT REMEMBER var's let's cont's from one line to the next so select all the lines you want to run so either run snippets by selecting multiple lines or just use globals.
• Restarting the extension with the restart button will cause all the globals to be forgotten.
• NOTE once a script has started it's going to be tough to stop it, a shell script is going to be even harder to stop. For JSX and JS scripts you can force close the app 😶 for shell you can try force close the computer 😡
• The Shell terminal is somewhat primitive it's good for very basic stuff and was mainly written to fulfill my curiosity. Maybe some year I'll look into implementing node-webterm which would be much better or even more likely maybe I'll just remove the shell console. 😒

Extensions Tools

• To get to the extensions tools click the button to go back to the console click the button.
• To set debug and log levels for a CEP version select the levels and version from the dropdowns and click the SET button.
• To debug extensions the extension you want to debug must be active at the time the list was generated. If you don't see the next to the extension you want to debug, make sure the extension is active and then click the button. You should then seen it.

• Choose you debug app that should automatically be listed in the dropdown and then click the debug button. If you're on the Mac and using a cefclient it will start minimized so you need to click on the cefclient icon in that shows up in the dock.

• Use your common sense for what the other buttons do.
• DO NOT mess up the built in Adobe modules.
• DO NOT NO MATTER WHAT look at the Adobe files that start with "Private and Confidential".

Contribution guidelines

• DIY

Who do I talk to?

• Yourself

License

• If you nick any snippets from the code please at least put a credit with a link to this page in your binary code.
• Do not sue.
• Do not complain.
• Use with care.
• No liability accepted NO MATTER WHAT.
• Any disputes to be settled by my dad.
• Copyright Trevor Creative Scripts

Change Log

Version 2.2 (07 Aug 19)

• Added persistence for Photoshop, InDesign and InCopy so the extension does not restart on closing the pannel.

Version 2.1 (16 April 18)

• Improved error handling for jsx console
• __jsx function from the js console for better processing of jsx.evalScript and jsx.evalFile methods.
• __doc() method from jsx console to retrieve a document __doc() is shortcut for app.documents[0] __doc(10) is same as app.documents[10]
• __sel() method from jsx console to retrieve the current selection __sel() is shortcut for app.selection[0] (In Illustrator in cases where app.selection[0] is undefined and app.selection is not undefined then app.selection will be returned) __sel(10) is same as app.selection[10]

Version 2

OK a very lot changed between version 1 and 2 and I've spent too much time on the project as is to list them so for now make do with a git diff

For the next version I'll try and be more helpful.

Final Note

Please judge me favorably. My annotations and general writing are much less sloppy when I get paid for what I'm doing!